-The Grape Harvest

In South Italy one understands the summer is coming to an end when people begin to talk about the “sugars”, referring to the sugar content of their grapes. When the “sugars” are right, it is time to embark on the yearly ritual of the grape harvest, which in Puglia means enlisting your friends and family for a few days of work and drinking on what might as well be the last hot days of the year.

The Valle d’Itria, where traditionally land is divided equally among siblings, is made up a patchwork of small farms, whose production is usually barely enough for the family. Almost everybody grows grapes, which are either sold to larger farms or cooperatives, who then make the wine and sell it on the market, or are used to make what is known as “farmer’s wine”, that is, one’s own wine.

Wine making is not an easy process and these essentially homemade wines, produced with little resources, technology and expertise, are usually not comparable to the more established productions. However, with a lot of work, patience in the face of mistakes and a bit of luck, small groups of people like the ones portrayed here, who have chosen to grow their grapes organic, are able to produce several thousands litres of good wine.